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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Most Utahns support Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill' — even though they think it will raise the debt
WASHINGTON — Most Utah voters say they support the massive tax package passed by Congress earlier this month expediting much of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda — even though they admit it will likely add to the national debt over the coming years. Half of Utah voters (50%) say they support the 'Big, Beautiful Bill Act' as it was passed in early July, with only 38% saying they oppose the measure, according to a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by HarrisX. Another 12% said they were unsure. Nearly all Utah voters (83%) said they were aware of what the massive bill was and what policy measures it contained before it was signed by Trump on July 4. But many of these same voters acknowledge the bill could have financial consequences. Voters split along party lines when asked if they thought the flagship legislation — which extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts while greenlighting billions of dollars in spending cuts to Medicaid and other welfare programs — would improve or worsen the economy, the poll showed. More than half (54%) of voters say the package will improve the economy compared to 46% who said the opposite. Republicans make up most of those in favor, with 75% of self-identified Republican voters saying they believe the economy will grow compared to just 12% of Democrats who said the same. Still, GOP voters appear to admit the national debt could become worse because of the newly enacted policies. More than half (52%) of voters say the debt will increase because of the domestic policy package, according to the poll. When split by party, 40% of Republicans say the deficit will increase compared to just 35% who said the debt would decrease. Another 26% said they did not think it would make a difference. It's not surprising so many Republicans stand behind the bill, according to Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics. However, he noted voters also see some drawbacks to the signature legislation. 'What stands out is the hesitation some voters express about specific impacts, like the effect on the national debt,' Perry told the Deseret News. 'People can support big policy changes even if feeling uncertain about parts of it. In this case, many Republican voters recognize the bill may increase the debt but still back it because they believe in the broader message or trust the people leading the effort. Rather than a contradiction, this reflects how voters often weigh tradeoffs.' On the other hand, a plurality of Republican voters (41%) say inflation will go down due to the bill. Only 31% of Republicans believe inflation would go up as a result of the legislation, according to the poll. The poll comes as Republicans return home for the August recess and lawmakers must begin campaigning for next year's midterm elections — with the 'big, beautiful bill' likely to be the biggest messaging tool for both parties. Congress passed the massive tax package just before the July Fourth holiday, enacting the president's domestic policy agenda ranging from border security to energy production to tax reform. The budget framework also approves trillions of dollars in spending cuts to government programs like Medicaid to offset the costs of permanent tax cuts expected to take effect at the end of this year. Trump and GOP leaders are imploring their members to defend the budget behemoth to their constituents, particularly those who are running for reelection in tight races. But that could be easier said than done, as polling shows the bill underwater on the national stage due to concerns it will raise costs and hurt the economy. While the package greenlights roughly $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, the full package is projected to increase the national deficit by $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Much of the new federal spending comes from provisions on military and immigration costs while stripping funds from some welfare programs and green energy tax credits. The Deseret News/Hinckley Poll was conducted by HarrisX between July 9-16 among 802 registered Utah voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
New York Post
17 hours ago
- New York Post
It's illegal to die in this Spanish town due to overcrowded cemetery
This law gives the death penalty a whole new meaning. In Lanjarón — a tiny village in Granada province in Andalusia, Spain — it's illegal for residents to die there. Yes, this is actually a rule that former mayor Jose Rubio put into place over 25 years ago. Advertisement In 1999, Rubio provided a declaration that urged citizens of Lanjarón 'to take utmost care of their health so they do not die until town hall takes the necessary steps to acquire land suitable for our deceased to rest in glory,' according to Deseret News. Lanjaron is also known among hikers for the wealth of nearby natural beauty. KukiLadrondeGuevara – 'It is hereby forbidden to die in Lanjaron,' the edict added, making the policy crystal clear. Advertisement According to reports at the time, the mayor was being pressured to rapidly resolve an overcrowding problem in a local cemetery — even though it had been an issue plaguing the town for years. His solution? This snarky statute. 'I am just a mayor,' he said. 'Above me there is God, who is ultimately the one who runs things.' Advertisement At the time, Rubio said: 'Everyone has taken the edict with a sense of humor and a strong desire to comply with it.' It's unclear whether or not the town ever got its expanded cemetery, but 26 years later, Lanjarón still only has one graveyard within municipal limits. Aside from the bizarre burial ban, the small village is a perfectly normal town. Home to almost 4,000 residents, it's best known as a wellness destination, thanks to nearby mineral-rich springs. Advertisement It has recently become a popular under-the-radar travel spot among Gen Zers on TikTok — especially as an alternative to overcrowded Spanish tourism hotspots like Barcelona and Majorca. Aside from the peculiar prohibition on passing away, the town is notably located near a natural spring and has a bustling water bottling industry. saiko3p – Given current interest in the area, the wild pseudo publicity stunt has resurfaced — and is making its rounds across the Internet, cropping up on random meme pages on Instagram, TikTok and X. While it's certainly a drastic approach to death, Rubio is far from the only mayor to make the move. In Longyearbyen, Norway, residents are also forbidden to die — and have been since 1950. In the 20th century, researchers discovered that the deceased were not sleeping soundly six feet under — as a matter of fact, they weren't decomposing at all due to the region's subarctic climate. Advertisement Scientists even tested buried bodies for the 1917 influenza virus, and were able to retrieve live samples of the virus. As a result, the cemetery is closed to corpses because of concerns that the disease will spread.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump is ‘turning around the Titanic' on homelessness, Utah rep says
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday overhauling the federal government's approach to homeless policy in favor of a strategy more in line with the one being pursued in Utah. The presidential directive, titled 'Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets,' instructs executive agencies to encourage the use of civil commitment by states to move some homeless individuals into long-term institutional care. Following more than a decade of 'housing first' requirements from Washington, D.C., Trump's order makes federal grants conditional on prohibiting urban camping, abandoning 'harm reduction' tactics and meeting higher standards of accountability. The order garnered praise from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who has pushed hard to reset the state's homeless services amid record levels of chronic homelessness. But it also concerned some service providers who are skeptical that the law enforcement emphasis will be accompanied by additional funding. 'I'm grateful to the White House for making this important change,' Cox told the Deseret News in a statement. 'For too long, the federal government pushed a one-size-fits-all approach that left people on the streets and tied our hands when we tried to do better.' 'Utah has always believed that real compassion means getting people the help they need, especially those struggling with addiction or serious mental illness. This new executive order reflects the commonsense approach we've been calling for: treatment, accountability, and support — not just housing with no strings attached. It's good to see Washington finally moving in the right direction.' What will the order do? The Trump administration's new approach to homelessness will focus on 'protecting public safety' as the number of individuals experiencing homelessness reaches record highs, with nearly 771,500 people experiencing homelessness on one night in 2024, include more than 274,200 who were unsheltered. Recognizing that a significant portion of homeless individuals use hard drugs or suffer from serious mental illness, Trump's order instructs the U.S. Attorney General and secretary of Health and Human Services to remove federal obstacles to civil commitment. Civil commitment is a legal process that allows officials to court-order an individual into mental health treatment or confinement if they pose a risk to themselves or others because of severe mental illness or substance use disorder. Under Trump's order, relevant agencies will be tasked with helping state and local governments with guidance on how to adopt 'maximally flexible civil commitment' and other policies to forcibly remove those who present a threat to public safety. 'Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order,' the executive action says. The White House instructed departments to prioritize grant money for states and municipalities that enforce prohibitions on illicit drug use and urban camping; that require outpatient treatment or civil commitment for high-risk individuals; and that track sex offenders who are homeless. Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development are also now authorized to 'increase accountability' for homeless service providers by halting funds to supervised drug consumption programs and ending support for 'housing first' initiatives that don't promote recovery. A 'sea change' According to the lawmaker behind Utah's recent homelessness reforms, Thursday's executive order represents a 'sea change.' 'This executive order is like turning around the Titanic,' Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, told the Deseret News, 'We're going to prioritize providers and states and cities who take these innovative approaches, and recognize this is a human issue, not only a housing issue.' Over the past few legislative sessions, Clancy has spearheaded the governor's homelessness initiative by extending involuntary commitment times, prohibiting syringe exchange programs in certain areas and enhancing criminal penalties for drug possession in and around homeless shelters. These pieces of legislation — which also connected overdose survivors to county resources, expanded the state's homelessness database and codified a 'pathway to thriving' model — all passed the Utah Legislature unanimously. A separate resolution pressuring federal agencies to rescind housing-first restrictions on homelessness funding, which passed both chambers with all but two votes, is remarkably similar to the president's new initiative, Clancy noted. 'This isn't criminalizing homelessness,' Clancy said. 'This is saying, 'You need help, and as a society, we're not going to leave you out there to suffer. We're going to bring you inside and get you the best health care possible to help you heal.'' This approach requires a commitment to long-term treatment and prevention because mental illness and drug addiction drive homelessness just as much as economic factors, according to Clancy, who served as the executive director of Solutions Utah, a homeless policy advocacy group, before working as a detective at the Provo Police Department. Utah has already 'led the way' in reorienting policy conversations toward 'compassion through accountability,' and now the rest of the country 'will start moving in that same direction,' according to Devon Kurtz, the public safety policy director at the Texas-based Cicero Institute. 'The changes announced by the White House amount to a comprehensive restructuring of the national approach to homelessness,' Kurtz told the Deseret News. 'The executive order makes one thing abundantly clear: the era of recklessly inactive homelessness policy is over.' Concerns about cash But recent actions from the Republican-controlled executive and legislative branches in Washington do not inspire confidence that money will be provided to create the wrap-around services needed to accompany a law enforcement crackdown, said Rep. Grant Miller, D-Salt Lake City. Miller, a public defender who has proposed a 'homeless Bill of Rights,' said he welcomes the federal government shaking up its approach to homelessness, but the order's promise to invest in mental health treatment comes after historic cuts to Medicaid included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 'Medicaid is the No. 1 funding mechanism for us to get people into health care facilities,' Miller said. 'Without that funding that they just slashed ... I don't know that they saw the long-term connection.' Having seen the ineffectiveness of policies like civil commitment when those experiencing homelessness have nowhere to go, Miller said his greatest worry is that policies will lead to 'punishing poverty' instead of 'stabilization' through 'health care models.' On Wednesday, Cox, speaking at the 140th anniversary of the Utah State Hospital, drew attention to the fact that the number of beds for committed patients had decreased from 1,250 to 1,000 since the 1950s, even as the population increased from 700,000 to 3.5 million. Over the past two years, Clancy has initiated conversations about selling the old Utah State Hospital, and drastically expanding it into a system that spread across the Wasatch Front, but the issue has yet to gain traction. Michelle Flynn, the executive director of The Road Home, one of the largest networks of homeless shelters in the state, said Trump's order highlighted places where Utah has already made advances, but it failed to address a core issue: housing. 'The characterization of 'housing first' being 'housing only' is not correct,' Flynn told the Deseret News. ''Housing first' absolutely includes an intense amount of support services.' Flynn's worry is that a new restriction on funding 'housing first' initiatives could stop important funding for rental assistance programs that are essential for getting people off the streets so they can have their health issues addressed. The problem isn't necessarily a lack of sobriety requirements for housing, it's an unmanageable waiting list for mental health and substance abuse programs that leaves vulnerable individuals without the help they need, according to Flynn. 'The challenge is, where do we help people to go?' Flynn said. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside the movement to make Idaho a ‘Christian State' — and how that affects Latter-day Saints
One of the most influential conservative policy groups at the Idaho Capitol wants to make the state explicitly Christian. But their definition excludes a quarter of the population who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not to mention those in the state who belong to other religions or no religion at all. Over the past five years, the Idaho Family Policy Center has become a legislative powerhouse, drafting, sponsoring and training lawmakers to debate a host of bills promoting Christian values in public spaces. This year the organization pushed to mandate daily Bible reading in public schools. Though the policy never received a floor vote, the organization has vowed to bring it back next year, with the proposal representing just the beginning of what the group envisions for the state. Religious litmus tests in Idaho? Idaho Family Policy Center president Blaine Conzatti told the Deseret News he would not oppose declaring Idaho a 'Christian state' and implementing religious tests for public office, although he clarified these are not his short-term goals. While the Supreme Court struck them down in 1961, provisions to prevent non-Christians from office are not new or radical, according to Conzatti. Many early American states incorporated religious tests requiring a belief in the Christian God, or a specific affiliation to Protestant sects. Conzatti does not advocate for states to put their stamp of approval on one specific denomination but he does draw a line between 'historic Christianity,' based on the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, and the faith of Latter-day Saints. While they share many beliefs in common with Conzatti, some of the roughly one-third of Idaho lawmakers who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say this approach could alienate the state's nearly half million members, and threatens religious pluralism. 'Mr. Conzatti, unfortunately, would not consider the majority faith in my legislative district to be Christian,' said Rep. Josh Wheeler, a Republican who represents the southeast corner of Idaho. 'That right there shows you the danger of becoming too narrow in what you require in policy that brings faith into the public square.' Since Wheeler entered the statehouse in 2023, legislators have introduced a record number of bills, with 'a large majority' of those originating from groups like the Idaho Family Policy Center, Wheeler said. The organization has had some major victories like the 2023 passage of bills letting parents sue libraries that carry sexually offensive books and letting students sue for encountering members of the opposite sex in public bathrooms. The Idaho Family Policy Center is characterized by its relentless approach, providing lawmakers with several versions of a bill to introduce each session to make it more likely that efforts like daily Bible reading will eventually pass, according to Wheeler. 'What I was surprised by is the way that this influence kind of shapes the whole legislative process in Idaho,' Wheeler said. But these legislative wins may ultimately come at the expense of broader goals to spread Christian values across society, Wheeler said, because they don't take into account the needs of all state residents. What the founders intended? In a series of email responses, Conzatti said that his political mission rests on the belief that the Founding Fathers crafted constitutions with the assumption that governments would actively promote what Conzatti calls 'biblical Christianity.' 'We are a Christian nation, as our founders at both the federal and state level affirmed,' Conzatti told the Deseret News. 'Put simply, we want our public schools and local governments to acknowledge God, in ways consistent with the history and tradition of our state and nation.' To support his conclusion, Conzatti, who studied government and law at Liberty University, cites numerous sources from the American Revolution and late 19th century where founders and Supreme Court justices affirmed the nation's Christian foundations. Drawing on Federalist leader Fisher Ames, Commentaries on the Constitution (1833) by Justice Joseph Story and Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States (1892), Conzatti argues that the First Amendment was never meant to put a wall between traditional Christianity and policymaking. His view is the opposite, that the maintenance of constitutional governance depends on the 'governmental promotion of biblical Christianity,' and that forgetting this has threatened American liberty, led to increased crime and weakened the family. 'Both policymakers and voters alike should take this opportunity to return to those biblical principles that made America a great place to work, worship, and raise families,' Conzatti said. Conzatti said he does not believe state-endorsed Christianity needs to come at the expense of religious liberty. The founding fathers, Conzatti said, were also firm believers in the natural right to freedom of conscience. While Conzatti is consistent in stating that voters of every state should have the power to choose what 'religious values and system of morality their state government will reflect,' he said 'biblical Christianity' is the only worldview that can sustain the country. 'We can — and we should — openly promote biblical Christian values and acknowledge God in our governmental affairs," Conzatti said. 'Idaho Family Policy Center affirms the freedom of all religious minorities to live out their faith, and we advocate for the religious freedom of everyone, Christian and non-Christian alike.' Idaho's history of religious discrimination Republican Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, who represents the area west of Idaho Falls, said proposals for the state to come out in transparent support of a certain interpretation of Christianity have 'been on turbocharge over the last few years.' Groups like Idaho Family Policy Center have an 'outsized influence' in Idaho politics because of the partnerships they have developed with many sitting lawmakers and prospective primary challengers, Mickelsen said. While some of their initiatives align with conservative small government principles, like allowing tax dollars to follow students outside of public school, others would expand government through increased litigation, spending and regulations, according to Mickelsen. An approach to social issues that takes control away from local governments is not just heavy-handed, it could create a precedent that infringes on the kind of pluralism that protects religious diversity, Mickelsen said. 'I think that we're getting back to a very slippery slope of being like the Church of England, or the Roman Catholic influence in Italy,' Mickelsen said. 'When's this going to stop? What's good enough for them?' Even though the 14th Amendment extended the Constitution's prohibition on religious tests to the states in 1868, just after Idaho became a territory, in the state's early history there was an effort to exclude Latter-day Saints from political life. Despite Latter-day Saint missionaries being among the first Europeans to settle in Idaho, the territory's laws in the 1880s, and its first state constitution, required an 'Idaho Test Oath' that banned supporters of groups that practiced polygamy from voting, serving on juries or holding office. The Supreme Court upheld the law in an unanimous ruling in 1890 — the same year the church ended the practice of plural marriage. And while enforcement ended later in the 1890s, the language that had earlier disenfranchised Latter-day Saint voters was not removed from the Idaho State Constitution until 1982. Personal faith in the public sphere Like Wheeler, Mickelsen, who is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pointed to the church's seminary program as an example of how to bring religion into the public square without imposing on others. In southeast Idaho, as in Utah, high school students are given release time to leave campus for one period to attend church seminary buildings that are often built next door to the school. Former Republican Rep. Chenele Dixon, who was defeated in a primary in 2024 after opposing an Idaho Family Policy Center proposal, said she shared Wheeler and Mickelsen's view that an individual's faith should influence their policy decisions, and that this is healthy for society. During her single term in office, Dixon supported some bills written by the Idaho Family Policy Center that overlapped with her conservative views as a lifelong Republican, she said. But she said she thought other bills seemed like solutions in search of problems that the Idaho Family Policy Center had stirred up in an effort to box out views, or religions, they did not agree with. 'I do have a concern when we say that we need to be a Christian state, because there is always, I have found, a litmus test for Christianity with people that say that,' Dixon said. 'And actually, the folks who are saying that, don't have room for LDS people either, and I think a lot of LDS people don't understand that.' Correction: The Idaho Family Policy Center was not directly involved in lobbying for bills to require the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and to allow chaplains to serve as school counselors. Solve the daily Crossword
Business Insider
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Every movie based on DC Comics, ranked
54 (tie). "Catwoman" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 8% "Catwoman" stars Halle Berry as Patience Phillips, aka Catwoman, in an all-new take on the character. Really, her only resemblance to the comics character is that she, well, likes cats. In this film, Patience gets her powers (which are new from the comics) from the Egyptian goddess Bast, and decides to take down her evil boss, Laurel (Sharon Stone), who has created an antiaging cream with dangerous side effects. It's as silly as it sounds. Christy Lemire of the Associated Press called the movie a "soulless amalgamation of quick edits, computer images and swooping, nausea-inducing dolly shots." 54 (tie). "Steel" (1997) Rotten Tomatoes score: 8% Steel, aka John Henry Irons, is one of Superman's most famous allies — but you'd never know it from this film, which invents a new backstory for Steel (played, we'll say, woodenly, by Shaquille O'Neal), that sees him don an iron suit to get revenge on his nemesis Nathaniel Burke, played by Judd Nelson of all people. "Shaq isn't much of an actor, of course, but as with his first starring effort, 'Kazaam,' he's used more for his screen 'presence.' And casting Nelson in the picture helps, since he's always pretty awful," wrote Chris Hicks for Deseret News. 53. "Batman & Robin" (1997) Rotten Tomatoes score: 11% "Batman & Robin" is known to some as a campy classic filled with neon lighting, a suit with Bat-Nipples, and a pun-loving Mr. Freeze played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, we can't cosign George Clooney's performance as Bruce Wayne or Batman. He just doesn't have it. "Of all modern Batmans, George Clooney bears the closest physical resemblance to the comic-book hero, but there isn't much to say about his performance because there isn't much performance to discuss," wrote The Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern. 52. "Jonah Hex" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 12% "Jonah Hex" stars Josh Brolin as the titular character, a former Confederate soldier who was left for dead and healed by a Native American tribe, leaving him with the ability to communicate with the dead. It also stars Megan Fox as Lilah, Jonah's gun-toting love interest, John Malkovich as Jonah's nemesis, Quentin Turnbull, and Michael Fassbender as Turnbull's maniacal right-hand man, Burke. "It's a loud and subtle-as-a-sledgehammer assault on the senses, though, at 81 minutes, mercifully short," wrote Marc Lee for The Telegraph. 51. "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 14% By the time Christopher Reeve was suiting up for his fourth (and final) go-around as Superman, it was clear that it was time to move on from this version of the character. The actors seem somewhat checked out, the effects weren't getting any better, and the choice to deviate from the comics by pitting Superman against a new villain called Nuclear Man was not a wise one. "In many sequences, Reeve looks as if he's pink-faced from embarrassment as he flies through the air looking like a cardboard cut-out," wrote The Boston Globe's Michael Blowen. 50. "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (2003) Rotten Tomatoes score: 16% "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is based on the WildStorm/America's Best Comics series of the same name — originally, these were independent brands from DC Comics, but they were acquired in 1998 by the comics giant, angering "League" creator Alan Moore. He should've waited until 2003 to see how director Stephen Norrington would butcher his source material to get truly angry, though. This film takes place in a universe where some of the most iconic characters in fiction (think Dorian Gray, Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, and Tom Sawyer) are part of a team of agents that take down threats such as Professor Moriarty of "Sherlock" fame. "Destined to go down in the history books as the 'Heaven's Gate' of superhero flicks, this is nothing more and nothing less than an extraordinary waste of time and money," wrote Jamie Russell for the BBC. 49. "Supergirl" (1984) Rotten Tomatoes score: 21% Helen Slater stars as Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Kal-El (you might know him better as Superman), who had a very different upbringing than her cousin — instead of being raised on Earth by kindly farmers, she grew up among the remnants of Krypton. After a mishap with a wizard played by Peter O'Toole (!), Kara is sent to Earth and becomes Supergirl. However, the cheesiness of this movie and Faye Dunaway's performance as the main villain, Selena, make it a tough watch in 2025. Anna Maria Dell'oso of The Sydney Morning Herald called the film a " disappointingly bland and twitty movie." 48. "The Kitchen" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 24% Did you even know a comic-book movie starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson, Common, and Margo Martindale was released in 2019? If you didn't, you're not alone. It made just $16 million on a $38 million budget, per Box Office Mojo. The film is based on the Vertigo Comics series of the same name. In it, McCarthy, Haddish, and Moss play three mob wives who are suddenly put in a position of power after their husbands are sent to jail, giving them freedom for the first time. "Moss, somehow, retains her dignity but McCarthy and Haddish are made to look like amateurs. I'm a fan of both women. Get me outta this kitchen," wrote Charlotte O'Sullivan for the London Evening Standard. 47. "Green Lantern" (2011) Rotten Tomatoes score: 25% What can we say about the quality of "Green Lantern" that Ryan Reynolds hasn't already said in the post-credit scene of "Deadpool 2"? For those not familiar, Reynolds plays Hal Jordan, a test pilot who discovers a ring and becomes endowed with the powers of the Green Lantern Corps, an alien police force. There's a lot wrong with this movie, from the underwhelming villain to the cheesy special effects. Perhaps James Gunn and the DCU will finally get Hal right in " Lanterns" in 2026. "Even by the standards of the current run of mediocre comic-book movies, this one stands out for its egregious shoddiness," wrote Slate's Dana Stevens. 46. "Suicide Squad" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 26% When the first teaser for "Suicide Squad" came out, people were excited. And then the cast proudly chatted to press about their matching tattoos and the camaraderie they built on set (Jared Leto's method-acting as the Joker notwithstanding). Unfortunately, the finished product didn't live up to the hype. In a word, this team-up of some of the most iconic comics villains of all time (Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie, Deadshot played by Will Smith, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, etc.) is cringe. "For all its cast and crew's inglorious chest-thumping, 'Suicide Squad' is a failed, forced exercise in — of all things! You had one job! —ensemble chemistry," wrote K. Austin Collins for The Ringer. 45. "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 28% For all that's been written about the DC Extended Universe and its failures, " Batman v Superman" is really where the wheels started falling off. Instead of making the "Man of Steel" sequel that fans wanted, or introducing a new Batman, as played by Ben Affleck, in his own stand-alone film, the studio chose to smush those two stories together in a nonsensical story that hinges on Batman and Superman's moms having the same name. "If a filmmaker attempted to combine everything casual moviegoers don't like about superhero franchises, they couldn't come up with a picture as execrable as this one," wrote Jason Bailey for Flavorwire. 43 (tie). "Joker: Folie à Deux" (2024) Rotten Tomatoes score: 31% The first "Joker," which stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a mentally unstable wannabe comedian who just wants to be loved, made over $1 billion at the box office, was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards, and Phoenix even won for best actor. Its long-awaited sequel, which added Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn? Not so much. It was a bomb, making just $207 million worldwide, and got such negative reviews from critics that it essentially disappeared from culture altogether. "'Folie à Deux' is a punishingly dull affair. It's a pointless sequel with very little plot. It wastes the talent on screen, and it squanders the genuinely intriguing conceit of its characters breaking into song," wrote Esther Zuckerman for Bloomberg. 43 (tie). "Superman III" (1983) Rotten Tomatoes score: 31% A classic move in "Superman" storytelling is to explore the possibility of Superman having a bad day — what would happen if the most powerful being on the planet decided he wasn't so good after all? That's a compelling concept, if it's done right. In "Superman III," which sees our favorite Kryptonian corrupted by synthetic Kryptonite, it's not. David Denby of The New Yorker called the film "tedious, labored, and feeble beyond belief." 42. "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" (2023) Rotten Tomatoes score: 33% The last film in the DCEU before James Gunn and Co. took over went out with a whimper, not a bang. While its predecessor made over $1 billion, this film topped out at $439 million. In "Lost Kingdom," Aquaman (Jason Momoa) is now ruling over the seven seas with his wife Mera (Amber Heard, in a very reduced role from the first film). But when an old enemy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) gets hold of a powerful magical weapon, Aquaman must team up with his formerly villainous half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to stop him. "Where 'Aquaman' felt original, 'Lost Kingdom' is stale, void of all originality," wrote Jenny Nulf at the Austin Chronicle. 40 (tie). "Black Adam" (2022) Rotten Tomatoes score: 39% Infamously, while promoting this movie, Dwayne Johnson warned fans that the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe was about to change. In a way, he was right — just two months after this film's post-credit scene reintroduced Henry Cavill's Superman to the big screen for the first time in years, James Gunn announced he'd be starting from scratch with a new actor playing Superman in his revamped DCU. But " Black Adam" itself is pretty boring. Johnson stars as Teth-Adam (aka Black Adam), an anti-hero who was bestowed super-powers by ancient Egyptian gods. After he's awakened from a centuries-long slumber, he goes on a mission to stand up for his home country, Kahndaq. "'Black Adam' is two hours of cinematic soup, the ultimate statement from the god-king of movies that everyone sees but no one remembers," wrote Dylan Roth for the Observer. 40 (tie). "Justice League" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 39% This is the first version of "Justice League" released, to be clear — the one directed by Zack Snyder that was then taken over by Joss Whedon, starring Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as the Flash, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg. The biggest problems with this movie, which sees the most powerful metahumans on Earth unite to defeat an alien called Steppenwolf, are that there's too much going on and the tone is all over the place. Also, Henry Cavill's CGI-ed out mustache. "Perhaps the new Superman is closer to what the fans wanted. But he doesn't really feel like a character anymore. He, like the rest of his movie, feels like a focus group-approved concept," wrote Mashable's Angie Han. 39. "Batman Forever" (1995) Rotten Tomatoes score: 41% "Batman Forever" was the third installment of WB's first attempt at a "Batman" franchise and the first (and only) outing of Val Kilmer's take on the Caped Crusader. In this film, Bruce Wayne teams up with Robin (Chris O'Donnell) to take down the new team of the Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones). Both Carrey and Jones are absolutely going for it in these roles, and for that alone, it's worth the watch. "'Batman Forever' is in and out but wins in the end by staying true to its unbridled comic spirit," wrote Peter Travers for Rolling Stone. 38. "Red 2" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 44% "Red 2" is the sequel to 2010's "Red" (coming later on this list). Once again, the film stars Bruce Willis as Frank Moses, a "retired and extremely dangerous" former CIA agent. He gets pulled into another scheme when he's framed for an operation back in the Cold War that involved smuggling bombs into the USSR. "While we applaud the minds behind 'Red 2' for making a film for adults in a sea of movies for kids and teenage boys, they didn't actually make a good film for adults," wrote IndieWire's Kimber Myers. 37. "Constantine" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 46% Based on the comic character of the same name, Keanu Reeves stars in "Constantine" as the titular exorcist and demon hunter, John Constantine, as he searches for the archangel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton). Though this film wasn't very beloved by critics or a huge financial success, it certainly has its fans — so much so that, per Deadline, a sequel was announced to be in development in 2022. "Keanu Reeves is — let me just get this off my chest — very good," wrote Salon's Andrew O'Hehir. 36. "The Losers" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 47% In 2010, the year before Chris Evans would join the MCU as Captain America, he starred in a different comic-book movie — this one based on the Vertigo Comics series "The Losers." The titular Losers are a group of black-ops soldiers who are sent on the most dangerous missions in the world. In this film, they're sent on a mission to Bolivia to destroy a drug trafficking compound, but are double-crossed by their evil boss, Max (Jason Patric). "'The Losers' is a ho-hum scraping of the comic-book barrel, which feels particularly needless with both 'The A-Team' and 'The Expendables' on their way," wrote Tim Robey for The Telegraph. 35. "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" (2023) Rotten Tomatoes score: 49% "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" was one of the DCEU movies released after the announcement that an entire universe rehaul was imminent, rendering the events of this movie irrelevant. It's a sequel to the perfectly lovely 2019 film "Shazam!," but this movie seemingly forgot what was charming about the first one. Zachary Levi (who plays the adult Billy) and Asher Angel (teen Billy) don't seem to be playing characters who have any knowledge of each other. "The original film left nothing of substance for this superhero sequel," wrote Adam Mullins-Khatib for Chicago Reader. 34. "The Return of Swamp Thing" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 56% The sequel to 1982's "Swamp Thing," "The Return of Swamp Thing" leans into every schlocky and campy quality of the original and turns it up to 11. This time, Swamp Thing (Dick Durock) must rescue a young botanist, Abby Arcane (Heather Locklear), from her evil stepfather Anton (Louis Jordan), who wants to steal her youth. Lindsay Costello of The Stranger called the movie "one of the most precious gifts ever put to celluloid." 33. "Man of Steel" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 57% In the 12 years since "Man of Steel" was released, there's been a lot written about what this movie did to the character of Superman, the destruction he wrought (seemingly without a second thought) across both Smallville and Metropolis, Cavill's portrayal of Kal-El, and the controversial characterization of his adopted dad Pa Kent (played in this iteration by Kevin Costner). In general, we think it's a solid origin story that was hindered by a couple of casting choices, a lack of humor, and an oppressively gray color palette. "Christliness has always been an element of the Superman myth. But this film's near literal insistence upon it becomes absurd since director Zack Snyder and screenwriter David S. Goyer don't dramatize the analogy, they presume it," wrote Wesley Morris for Grantland. 32. "Wonder Woman 1984" (2020) Rotten Tomatoes score: 58% " Wonder Woman 1984" is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2017's "Wonder Woman," moving our heroine (played by Gal Gadot) from WWI-era Europe to 1980s Washington, DC. The film also stars Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord, a would-be billionaire who becomes the living embodiment of a genie's lamp when he gets the ability to grant anyone's wishes just by getting near them. Diana (aka Wonder Woman) has to choose between getting the love of her life, Steve (Chris Pine), back from the dead or having her powers and the ability to save people. "It's a refreshingly silly and airy adventure focused on the emotions of one character, Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot), and a charming end to a tiring year of cinema," wrote David Sims of The Atlantic. 31. "Swamp Thing" (1982) Rotten Tomatoes score: 61% "Swamp Thing" was directed by horror legend Wes Craven, and is his love letter to the creature features of the 1950s such as "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." It's a pretty standard monster movie anchored by performances by Ray Wise, Dick Durock, Adrienne Barbeau, and Louis Jordan. Alec Holland (Wise), a scientist, is turned into a superhuman monster after an experiment gone wrong. Horror ensues. Roger Ebert called it "one of those movies that fall somewhere between buried treasures and guilty pleasures." 30. "The Flash" (2023) Rotten Tomatoes score: 63% A lot was riding on "The Flash" before it hit theaters in 2023 after numerous delays. Apparently, Tom Cruise himself was so taken by it that he called director Andy Muschietti for 15 minutes to rave about it, per Variety. Instead, it ended up being a somewhat garbled mess. Ezra Miller stars as Barry Allen, a young man struck by lightning who develops superspeed. But that's the least of Barry's concerns; he also has a dad who's been falsely imprisoned for murdering his mom. After the events of "Justice League," Barry figures out he can travel back in time and makes the choice to stop his mom from dying. That small choice sends things into chaos, with Barry getting catapulted into an alternate universe with no other metahumans and the Michael Keaton version of Batman. "Mad trippy or catastrophic? This DC superhero epic is actually a mix of both, dragged down by exhausting multiverse hopping but flashy fun on the wings of virtuoso Ezra Miller and the grumpy comic perfection of Michael Keaton as a Batman on the ropes," wrote Peter Travers for ABC. 29. "Watchmen" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 65% The second-best reviewed Zack Snyder joint on this list is "Watchmen," adapted from the iconic, highly lauded comic of the same name. In this story, masked crime-fighters have been around for decades (oh, and Richard Nixon is a five-term president at the height of the Cold War) — but they've been outlawed for years. One such former vigilante, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) becomes convinced that someone is taking out former heroes one by one, and tries to warn his former team, the Watchmen, that someone might be after them. But the conspiracy goes deeper than any of them could've imagined. "'Watchmen' isn't boring, but as a fragmented sci-fi doomsday noir, it remains as detached from the viewer as it is from the zeitgeist," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman. 28. "Aquaman" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 66% " Aquaman" stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, a half-human, half-Atlantean hero who is of both land and sea. Over the course of the film, he must learn to accept his birthright as the king of Atlantis — but first, he must defeat Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson). "Hollywood has given us the greatest, goofiest holiday gift in a long time," wrote Jordan Hoffman for AMNY. 27. "Joker" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 68% The discourse around "Joker" (Is it about incels? Is it a truly nihilistic piece of art? What is a Joker movie without a Batman?) has almost obfuscated that it's a pretty good movie. Joaquin Phoenix is almost unrecognizable as Arthur Fleck, a down-on-his-luck wannabe comedian who struggles with telling the difference between reality and delusion. But as his psyche begins to crack, he only becomes more beloved by the disillusioned residents of Gotham. Wenlei Ma wrote for "'Joker' is a jumble — sometimes brilliant and sometimes trite. Among its flashes of excellence is a self-serious movie that isn't nearly as deep as it thinks it is." 24 (tie). "DC League of Super-Pets" (2022) Rotten Tomatoes score: 72% The first (but not last!) animated film on this list is "DC League of Super-Pets," which is essentially the Justice League with cats and dogs (and turtles and guinea pigs and squirrels …). In the same year he played Black Adam in live-action, Dwayne Johnson also voiced Krypto, Superman's pet dog. Kevin Hart, on the other hand, voiced Ace, Batman's boxer mix, whom the Dark Knight has adopted. "The Super-Pets aren't the most witty or cutting bunch — and no doubt destined to be plush toys on store shelves soon — but there's little reason to resist the cute," wrote The Guardian's Adrian Horton. 24 (tie). "Red" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 72% "Red" is a somewhat forgotten movie these days, but it was actually nominated for a Golden Globe in 2010, for best motion picture — musical or comedy. It's based on the WildStorm comic (a DC imprint) of the same name about a retired CIA agent named Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) who is pulled back into action after another agent, William Cooper (Karl Urban), is tasked with killing him by the vice president, Robert Stanton (Julian McMahon). "A fast, funny, smart, adult-oriented action-comedy that generates precisely the kind of giddy vibe 'The Expendables' lacked," wrote The Age's Jim Schembri. 24 (tie). "Superman Returns" (2006) Rotten Tomatoes score: 72% The plot of "Superman Returns" completely ignores the events of "Superman III" and "Superman IV," and is instead a semi-reboot, semi-legacy sequel to "Superman II." This time, though, our hero is played by Brandon Routh, who we'd maintain never got a fair shake at playing Superman. This movie is pretty good! The airplane sequence that kicks off the movie holds up almost 20 years later. "It's all about heart — not that the spectacle falters; this is the finest popular entertainment since the 'Rings' trilogy closed. Superman doesn't fly — he soars," wrote Ian Nathan for Empire. 23. "V for Vendetta" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 73% "V for Vendetta" is based on the Vertigo Comics series of the same name. It takes place in an alternate version of Great Britain that has been overtaken by a fascist, totalitarian regime. A lone anarchist, known as V (Hugo Weaving) who is never seen without a Guy Fawkes mask, begins planting the seeds of a revolution with the help of a young woman, Evey (Natalie Portman). Claudia Puig wrote for USA Today, "The dark and stylized 'V for Vendetta' is visually exhilarating, provocative and disturbing." 21 (tie). "Stardust" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77% "Stardust" is based on the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name that was published by DC Comics in 1999. It's an epic romantasy starring Charlie Cox as Tristan, a young man who wants to collect a fallen star to present to his love, Victoria (Sienna Miller) — but when the fallen star turns out to be a young woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes), Tristan finds himself in a love triangle. "A stern editor with a sense of dramatic timing could have given this film more tension to go with its random bursts of comedy and big, happy fantasy setpieces, but lacking tautness, it'll have to settle for expansive joy," wrote the AV Club's Tasha Robinson. 21 (tie). "Batman" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77% Tim Burton's "Batman" took Gotham City's favorite vigilante out of the campy '60s and into the gothic, dark '80s. The film (which actually isn't really an origin story — it starts off with Bruce Wayne having been Batman for at least six months) stars Michael Keaton as Wayne/Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker, in one of the most entertaining performances of his career. Newsday's Mike McGrady called the film "one of the most interesting comic-book movies ever made, a movie that vividly illustrates where most of the others have gone wrong." 19 (tie). "Blue Beetle" (2023) Rotten Tomatoes score: 78% "Blue Beetle" is a charming little movie about a recent college grad, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), who becomes fused with a piece of alien tech known as the Scarab (voiced by Becky G) and becomes a powerful hero known as the Blue Beetle. "'Blue Beetle' is both scrappy and tailored, poignant and breezily amusing. Pitched from a new angle and guided by talented hands, 'Blue Beetle' is a rarity in these superhero end-times: a genuine pleasure to watch, reviving tired old formula with brio," wrote Richard Lawson for Vanity Fair. 19 (tie). "Zack Snyder's Justice League" (2021) Rotten Tomatoes score: 78% As you might remember, there already was a "Justice League" movie on this list — but it wasn't the director Zack Snyder's complete product, since he had to step away from filming due to personal reasons. But when fans became aware that Snyder had shot enough footage to make a four-hour cut of the film that was true to his vision, they became obsessed with the #SnyderCut. Sure, it took years, but " Zack Snyder's Justice League" hit HBO Max in 2021, all 242 minutes of it, after the fans' unrelenting pressure on Warner Bros. While the general story remains the same, there's much more of every character in Snyder's cut, especially Cyborg (Ray Fisher) who was almost entirely cut out of the theatrical version. And it's a better movie for Fisher's performance, who is the heart of the film. "It actually succeeds. In more ways than I ever expected," wrote NPR's Eric Deggans. 18. "Birds of Prey" (2020) Rotten Tomatoes score: 79% Margot Robbie's casting as Harley Quinn was far and away the best choice DC ever made. She shines in this movie as a newly empowered version of the Joker's ex-girlfriend who teams up with a few other local female criminals — The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) — to take down the crime lord Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). "Kinetic, silly, candy-colored, and hyperviolent, 'Birds of Prey' is a serious treat for fans of comic book films. But it wouldn't work without the equal parts goofy, hilarious, and unhinged performance of its lead," wrote Max Weiss for Baltimore Magazine. 17. "Batman" (1966) Rotten Tomatoes score: 80% This version of the Caped Crusader is based on the equally campy '60s TV show that aired on ABC for three seasons. From that iconic theme song, to Adam West's perfectly calibrated performance as an adult man who feels the need to dress up as a bat to fight crime, to all the wild "bat" gadgets (Bat-Shark Repellant, anyone?), this movie is a classic. "I'd choose Adam West's Batmobile over Michael Keaton's any day," wrote Time Out. 15 (tie). "Road to Perdition" (2002) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82% Yup, "Road to Perdition" is a comic movie. The series was published by the DC Comics imprint Paradox Press in the '90s and 2000s. The Sam Mendes film stars Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan, an enforcer for the Irish Mob in '30s Illinois. After his family is targeted by a rival mobster, Michael and his son, played by Tyler Hoechlin, are forced to go on the run, killing anyone in their way. "This is classic albeit somber filmmaking, restrained and all of a piece, by a director who believes film can tell adult stories in an adult manner, who knows the effects he wants and how to get them," wrote the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan. 15 (tie). "Batman Returns" (1992) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82% "Batman Returns" is a weirder, slimier, grimier, and meaner film than its predecessor — and it's a Christmas movie! Michael Keaton is once again solid as Batman, but this movie belongs to Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny DeVito as the Penguin, two portrayals of the characters that live on 33 years later. "The strange, ambitious character work that comprises 'Batman Returns' is wrapped in the perfunctory framework of a Tim Burton superhero film," wrote Justin Clark for Slant Magazine. 13 (tie). "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" (1993) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% "Batman: The Animated Series" is one of the most iconic and beloved cartoons of all time, so it stands to reason that a theatrical adaptation of the cartoon would work. And it does! Kevin Conroy's vocal performance as Batman/Bruce Wayne will live on forever as the definitive portrayal of the character, and the design of Gotham City is timeless. The story itself is pretty standard Batman fare, but it's compelling to watch Bruce grapple with the choice to stay a vigilante or give it up for love. "A fantastic-looking back-to-basics telling of the legend, it totally disregards any attempt at nineties reinvention," wrote Ross Jones for The Guardian. 13 (tie). "Superman" (2025) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% The most recent DC movie is, of course, 2025's " Superman." It's the first feature film under James Gunn's new DC Universe (and it was also written and directed by Gunn himself). It introduces audiences to an all-new version of Superman, this time played to perfection by David Corenswet. He's surrounded by an all-time supporting cast, including Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner (a Green Lantern), Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Krypto, a really great dog. "It makes you want to cheer. That's it, that's the secret ingredient that's been missing from so many superhero stories for so long," wrote Glen Weldon of NPR. 11 (tie). "Batman Begins" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 85% We'd call "Batman Begins" the first Batman movie of the modern era. It's directed by Christopher Nolan, and puts Batman (Christian Bale) into the most realistic version of Gotham City we'd seen to date. Plus, Cillian Murphy's portrayal of the Scarecrow still haunts us. "The psychological realism and the science-fiction villainy don't always mesh seamlessly. But unlike so many superheroic summer spectacles, this one actually has a soul behind the special effects," wrote David Ansen for Newsweek. 11 (tie). "The Batman" (2022) Rotten Tomatoes score: 85% Tied with "Batman Begins" is the newest version of the Bat, this time played by Robert Pattinson in one of the most emo roles of his career. Seriously, this Bruce Wayne looks like he's a fully nocturnal animal. In a change from the rest of his big-screen portrayals, this Batman is equally as much of a detective as he is a brawler — and he certainly does a lot of both. We also have to pay respects to Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman and Colin Farrell's unrecognizable turn as the Penguin, which led to him getting his own HBO Max show. "'The Batman' is the Batman movie we deserve, though: overwrought and overlong, but also carefully crafted and exhilarating," wrote Adam Nayman for The Ringer. 9 (tie). "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87% Christian Bale wrapped up his time as the Dark Knight in 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises," which picks up eight years after the events of "The Dark Knight," when Batman was shunned by the people of Gotham after he took the fall for killing Harvey Dent. This movie's lasting legacy is probably its villain, the hulking mass that is Bane (Tom Hardy) and his, we'll say, unique way of speaking. But a lot happens in this movie. Batman meets Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), he gets his back broken and fully recovers, the city of Gotham is cut off from civilization via a series of bombings, and Batman fakes his own death. Phew. "[Christopher] Nolan has turned a preposterous character back into a grave myth, the story of a tortured saviour, reluctantly giving his all," wrote The London Evening Standard's David Sexton. 9 (tie). "Superman: The Movie" (1978) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87% Arguably, this could be considered the first modern superhero movie, the film that set us down the path we're still taking to the movie theaters to this day. It's cheesy, but not overly so, it has an all-time superhero theme composed by John Williams (that's still being used in "Superman" content now), and the casting of Christopher Reeve as Superman remains the best superhero casting of all time, period. And we didn't even mention Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, who complete a trifecta of A-plus performances in this film. "Reshaping a comic book adaptation into a modern myth told with wonder, sincerity and soul, 'Superman: The Movie' didn't just make you believe a man could fly, it made you want to," wrote Zaki Hasan for the San Francisco Chronicle. 7 (tie). "A History of Violence" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 88% Not even director David Cronenberg is immune to the comic-book movie craze. In 2005, he adapted the 1997 graphic novel published by Paradox Press (and later Vertigo Comics). The film stars Viggo Mortensen as Tom, a small-town diner owner with a wife and son. He becomes the center of a media frenzy when he takes out two spree killers who are trying to rob his diner with relative ease — despite his best efforts to stay anonymous, his violent past as a mob hitman comes back to haunt him. "Cronenberg's masterful, intelligent and gripping meta-thriller leaves us pondering about our enduringly perverse desire for alternative realities, in which surrogate violent alter egos run righteously and preposterously amok," wrote Richard Falcon for Sight & Sound. 7 (tie). "Superman II" (1980) Rotten Tomatoes score: 88% With all the shuffling that went on behind the scenes (director Richard Donner was fired 80% of the way through and replaced with Richard Lester), it's a miracle that this movie is watchable, let alone great. It's carried to greatness largely on the back of Terence Stamp's performance as General Zod, an evil Kryptonian hellbent on taking over Earth and destroying Superman. "The special effects are spare but spectacular, and the delightfully showy tricks are spaced out by comic ventures into romance, tourism and human drama," wrote Meaghan Morris for The Sydney Morning Herald. 6. "The Lego Batman Movie" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 89% After Lego Batman was such a huge hit in "The Lego Movie," greenlighting a spinoff about his adventures in Gotham City was a no-brainer. Will Arnett voices this petulant and somewhat callous version of Batman amazingly well. He's joined by an equally stellar voice cast of Michael Cera as Batman, Ralph Fiennes as Bruce's butler Alfred, Zach Galifianakis as the Joker, and Rosario Dawson as Batgirl. This version of the Batman story gets at the idea, perhaps more than any other Batman story, that Batman and the Joker need each other to survive. It's a toxic relationship, but a relationship nonetheless. "Everything is still awesome in the irreverent 'Lego Movie' universe!!! All right, maybe not everything. But enough things," wrote Us Weekly's Mara Reinstein. 4 (tie). "The Suicide Squad" (2021) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% In between his second and third "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, James Gunn briefly jumped ship from Marvel to DC (and soon, permanently joined Team DC) to write and direct "The Suicide Squad," a loose sequel to 2016's "Suicide Squad." Confusing titles, we know. This version of the team is all heart and the epitome of the found family trope that Gunn loves so much. After a fakeout in which almost an entire team is killed, we're introduced to our main characters: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior). "'The Suicide Squad' is relentlessly unapologetic, wacky and weird, violent and bloody, and darkly humorous. It also has so much heart that you may find yourself fighting back tears by its end," wrote Kirsten Acuna for Business Insider. 4 (tie). "Shazam!" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% "Shazam!" was a surprise. It's a somewhat high concept: A young foster kid named Billy Batson is chosen by an ancient wizard to be bestowed with the power of the gods. Now, any time he says "Shazam" he goes from young Asher Angel to the adult Zachary Levi. However, the strength of this movie is the bond between Billy and his foster siblings, mainly Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), as they come together and become a true family. "Once Billy says that magic word and his supersized alter ego appears, the movie goes to its happy place and comfortably embraces its own identity as a light, jocular, modest entertainment," wrote Manohla Dargis for The New York Times. 3. "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% The best-reviewed animated movie on this list is "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies," the cinematic continuation of the Cartoon Network series that began airing in 2013. The Teen Titans are exactly what it sounds like: a group of teenage superheroes. This version of the team contains Robin (Scott Menville), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Cyborg (Khary Payton), and Raven (Tara Strong). In this film, the Teen Titans are upset that no one takes them seriously because they've never had a movie made about them, so they go on a hunt to find an arch-nemesis worthy of the big screen. Tara Brady of The Irish Times called it "appropriately super." 2. "Wonder Woman" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% Wonder Woman is one of the most famous and beloved heroes in the DC universe, but it took 76 years to get Diana, the Amazonian princess of Themiscyra, on the big screen. Thankfully, she was worth the wait. This movie, put simply, rocks. Chris Pine is dynamite as WWI fighter pilot Steve Trevor, Gal Gadot plays Diana's naivety about the modern world so well, and the rest of the supporting cast is on their A-game, too. "It's not difficult to see where this route is going, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable to watch. The simple power of love is the cornerstone upon which Wonder Woman is built. If it seems earnest, it's because it is," wrote Karen Han for Slash Film. 1. "The Dark Knight" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 94% There's an argument to be made that " The Dark Knight," the second of the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale trio, is the best super-hero movie ever made. It blends action with thought-provoking ideas about the nature of good and evil — yes, we know it's cliché at this point, but in 2008, it was hitting different! — and a genuinely starmaking performance of Heath Ledger, who would go on to posthumously win an Oscar for his work as the Joker. "The haunting and visionary 'Dark Knight' soars on the wings of untamed imagination," wrote Rolling Stone's Peter Travers.
